good thursday morning, everybody. it is a day of cleanup for millions of americans after powerful storms pounded states from wisconsin up to maine. >> the storms broke the heat wave but have left a trail of destruction and some incredible images. they were some of the most severe storms of the summer. creating unforgettable scenes. dark clouds looming over new york city. a column of rain and hail like something from a movie. major subway stations full of water. no major city in the northeast was untouched. new york was hardest hit. lightning hitting high-rises. the debris raining down on people in the streets. this morning, power outages stretch from ohio to new england. tens of thousands in the dark. in boston, the power went out on

live tv in dramatic fashion. the weatherman was in the middle of his report when lightning struck the station, leaving the studio in the dark. >> we're not having any lights in here. power has been knocked out. i believe we're on generator power at this time. looks like we're starting to come back up a little bit. >> he continued on with his forecast. violent storms slammed the midwest with winds as high as 80 miles an hour. nearly 70,000 folks lost power in the chicago area alone. and there was so much wild weather farther south. look at this water spout forming off the georgia coast near jekyll island. the viewer who sent it in said it lasted about ten minutes. now to the worsening situation in syria. president assad has not been seen since his top aides were assassinated. today, his nation is concern number one at the united nations with a meeting set for later this morning. with more, here's tahman bradley. >> reporter: fighting raged into the night in syria's capital

after the astonishing strike at the heart of dictator bashir assad's command center. armed rebels battling assad's forces claimed responsibility in what could mark a turning point in the nearly 18 months of fighting. >> this is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control. >> reporter: the international community is grappling with what to do. the u.n. security council meets today and is expected vote on a new syria resolution, demanding assad withdraw troops and weapons from certain areas. russia has been standing in the way of the resolution, threatening a veto. planning is under way should the syrian regime fall. >> assad is losing control. violence is increasing rather than decreasing. and that all of our partners internationally, need to come together and support a transition. >> reporter: the bomb ripped through a high-security compound in one of assad's military headquarters during a meeting of high-ranking security officials. at least three of them were killed.

among the dead, president assad's brother-in-law, one of the most feared men in syria. also the defense minister. figures instrumental in carrying out the brutal crackdown that activists say has killed 17,000. details on how the bomb was planted are not clear. opposition officials say it was an inside job. president assad, perhaps no longer sure who he can trust, has not been seen since the bombing. there are reports he's in a coastal city directing a response. paula? rob? >> perhaps the beginning of the end. tahman bradley in washington. thanks. and there's breaking news from another hot spot. israel is blaming iran for a deadly attack on israeli tourists in bulgaria. at least eight people were killed when a suicide bomber blew up a bus in a resort city. we have learned overnight investigators say the bomber was carrying an american passport and fake driver's license from the state of michigan. he was seen on surveillance walking around that area about an hour before the attack.

now to the presidential race. mitt romney making it clear when it comes to his running mate. in ohio yesterday, romney said he's not chosen his vice president. for now, two names seem to be at the top of the list. ohio senator rob portman and former minnesota governor tim pawlenty. also, in an interview with our robin roberts, romney's wife, ann, expressed anger at an ad that poked fun at her show horse which is actually therapy for her multiple sclerosis. >> it's like, really. there are so many people out of work right now. there's a guy that has the answers to fix the economy. all the attacks -- they're going to try everything. they're going to throw spaghetti at the wall. >> the dnc says it will not use the horse in ads again and it was not meant to offend ann romney. you can see robin's interview with her coming up on "good

morning america." new concerns about airborne terrorism after a disclosure on capitol hill. that disclosure is this. u.s. citizens on terror watch lists are allowed to learn how to fly airplanes, even though they're banned from flying commercially. it came to light yesterday at a congressional hearing. in response, a top tsa official did remind officials that anyone receiving a pilot's certificate is screened against criminal and terrorism data bases. that happens regularly. >> unbelievable. a united airlines flight took off and returned to honolulu not once, but twice. the plane was heading to los angeles when passengers and crew noticed an electrical odor. the pilot then returns to hawaii and had the plane checked out. when he took off a second time, the odor came on back. he went back to honolulu again. passengers had to catch other flights to los angeles. i can imagine they lost a little bit of time there that they couldn't get back. thankfully, they were okay. >> not a good news week for the airline industry. >> not at all. time for a look at the weather across the country.

on this thursday morning. more severe storms with gusty winds and downpours from chicago to louisville, pittsburgh, and also charleston, west virginia. thunderstorms from the texas gulf coast to florida and up to philly. monsoon storms in the rockies. also some showers in northern california and oregon. it will be heating up in the plains. >> 90s across the rockies, plains, and southeast. 80s from the twin cities to new york. and 78 in seattle. and coming up next after the break, the snack food competition that could have you eating caviar. how to win a million bucks. and the post office delivering a new batch of bad news. on the brink of a huge default. and later this morning, on "the pulse." hands off the hoff. the thieves who can't get enough of, believe it or not, david hasselhoff. he's going like hotcakes.

\s welcome back, everyone. wall street will try to build on its two-day rally. overseas markets are higher following the u.s. lead. investors are encouraged by solid earnings at key companies, including intel and honeywell. as well as strong housing starts. the s&p 500 is up. at its highest level since early may. weekly jobless claims will be out before the opening bell. and the postal service is drowning in red ink could see the first default in its history in a little over a week. they owe $5.5 billion in a retirees health plan. if congress doesn't take action, it will miss the payment.

a major fast food chain is ruffling feathers this morning. the president of chick-fil-a is on the record saying he and his company are anti-gay marriage and intend to stay that way. he says, quote, we're a family-owned business, a family-led business and we're married to our first wives, end quote. stunning new numbers on the wealth of the walton family. of course, they're the heirs of the walmart fortune. analysis shows that with $89.5 billion, they're worth nearly as much as all american households in the bottom half of earnings combined. their worth equals the total of almost 49 million households in america. whoo! >> stunning numbers there. if you want to make $1 million, maybe more. here's at least one way. the frito-lay company, the biggest food brand in the world, is taking to facebook tomorrow to find a new potato chip

flavor. if yours is chosen, rob, you get a million bucks or 1% of next year's net sales, your choice. >> man. >> so many flavors, so little time. >> i know. i'm trying to open a walmart. what will i do next? what to do? next on this thursday morning. george zimmerman speaks out for the first time publicly. his message for the parents of trayvon martin. and then, wrongly imprisoned for decades. now taking the field to sing about freedom. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ] [ dog ] we found it together. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that... had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you.

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to your kids' wet skin. neutrogena® wet skin kids. ordinary sunblock drips and whitens. neutrogena® wet skin cuts through water. forms a broad spectrum barrier for full strength sun protection. wet skin. neutrogena®. look at this video. that's what it looked like near harrisburg, pennsylvania. one of the many intersections covered by floodwaters. so much water, drivers could barely make their way across. that is a pitch, my friend, for minivance. plow your way through the flood. >> hopefully, a better day out

there today. heavy rain soaks highways from chicago to the ohio and tennessee valleys. wet roads in the four corners region and northern california into oregon. >> if you happen to be flying, a couple of weather. related airport delays in d.c. and chicago. back to the news this morning. george zimmerman has given an interview for the first time about what happened that night he killed trayvon martin. >> the former neighborhood watch captain says he was not following martin but trying to get a precise address to tell police where to go and zimmerman had this message for martin's parents. zbri would tell them that, again, i'm sorry. i don't have -- my wife and i don't have any children. i have nephews that i love more than life. and i am sorry that they -- buried their child. i can't imagine what it must

feel like. and i pray for them daily. >> zimmerman called the events of that night as being part of god's plan. a statement the dead teenager's father says he cannot agree with. >> george saying he's not a murder or a racist. a shocking crime in philadelphia. a 10-year-old girl and her little brother were returning from a store on tuesday when man put his hand over the girl's mouth and tried to carry her away. is suspect was scared away by the little brother's screams. now police are hoping a $10,000 reward will lead them to the suspects. the child's mother says the her daughter is mentally stressed out by physically okay. the guy owe see jump out of a van says he was saving his own life. he said he was jumped last week in pittsburgh and thrown into the van. then robbed and his attackers threatened to dill him.

he saw the police, unlocked the door and went to the police for safety. man who stripped down to his birthday suit in oregon has been found not guilty. a judge ruled his nudity was an act of protest, falling under protected free speech. >> come on, man. you can't take that much crack on a plane. everybody nose that. it's against the nation's drug policy. if you're trying to eat right, you may want to add something to your list. dark chocolate. a swiss chocolate manufacturer says that flavonols in dark chocolate can help your. the company will have the right to make the claim on its labels if approved. >> i anticipate they're going to say in moderation, right? >> of course. while penn state decides the

fate of the joe paterno statue, some students are standing their guard. they started the vigil after plane flew over the school with a banner that said, take the statue down or we will. penn state will make a decision about the statue's future in the next week or so. for the 141st time, the british open golf championship is under way. you can see the action on espn. some highlights of stateside sports from espn. good morning, randy scott with your "sportscenter" update. david ortiz on the 15-day d.l. pedro hernandez, robbed, a three-run jack. next inning, another three-run bomb off of hernandez. sox up big, not done. your next batter, adrian

gonzalez. it's tough to hit anything but a solo shot when the guy in front of you clears the bases. red sox win, 10-1. usa basketball, the women taking on great britain. james and durant there for support. the ladies didn't need it. that's maya moore. a stop and go getting the floater. usa coming back from an early deficit to tie it. second quarter, americans up 11. u.s. up 13. down to nine in the third until candace parker finds a streak moore. the united states 88-63. the men trying to take care of great britain today. 2:00 p.m. eastern. you can catch it on the espn family of networks. es espn2, espn3, if you're at work,

sneak a peek on the watchespn app. a special moment last night at the tampa bay rays game. william dillon spent 27 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. he still loves his country and was happy to be invited to the game to sing the national anthem. his favorite line -- the land of the free. as you can imagine. i like that story. >> that's a great story. >> a nice honor for that guy. 30 years of his life? he's earned it. >> and he has a good attitude. that's saying a lot more than probably what i would be doing. up next, a new hassle for the hoff. why he's tempting oh, so many thieves. and "dancing with the all-stars" who is going to be invited back? i thought that said heifers at firs first. hoofers.

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same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly. [ male announcer ] new bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. ♪ i'll be ready i'll be ready okay, it's time to check "the pulse," the stories you'll be talking about today. starting with the hoff. he's still a massive international sensation. >> hundreds of posters featuring david hasselhoff wearing a tank top have been stolen from convenience stores, they were part of an ad campaign. >> they want everybody to be

able to enjoy hasselhoff, his singing and his body. not bad for a guy who just turned 60. >> not bad at all. makes me want to run in slow motion to the next story. and the buzz about who is being invited back to the all-star version of "dancing with the stars." one name is bristol palin. >> mario lopez, chelsea kane. a lot of people looking for a spot. you're waiting for kim kardashian to come back. >> i would love that. the marines are offering their taken to song of the summer. take a listen. ♪ hey i just met you and this is crazy but here's my number ♪ ♪ so call me maybe it's hard to look right so here's my number so call me maybe ♪ >> those are marines in kanda r

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next, the cleanup of a homeless encampment begins. >> meteorologist mike nicco has our forecast. a little fog and drizzle. big warming trend on the way. >> we'll take you live to the emmy award nominations in orego. thunderstorms from corpus christi to jacksonville and up to philly.

finally, an unlikely star is making his broadway debut. >> mike tyson, boxing lemd, is take it to the stage. terry moran sat down for a chat with the champ. >> reporter: mike ties season here in new york. >> i'm a bum sometimes. >> reporter: he's taking his life story to broadway. a one-man show directed by spike lee. [ screaming ] >> reporter: growing up in brooklyn, what did you think of broadway, where you're going to be? >> i used to come in and pick pocket and rob, and snatch chains and stuff. >> reporter: the show is called "undisputed truth." you lay it aum out. the good, the bad, and the ugly. >> i like to describe it as being naked on stage. not physically naked. >> reporter: he's got a hell of

a story to tell. he's come such a long way. the bone-crushing heavyweight champion. became the youngest champ ever. the long downfall. a rape conviction, prison. the ear-biting disgrace against holyfield. he earned a fortune in his fight career. nearly all of it is gone. you came out a couple of years ago, said haul that money, $300 million? where did it go? >> i was reckless and out of control. >> reporter: he is through with boxing. he's in shape. he's a vegan now. the fight game can take a terrible toll. look at muhammad ali. are you concerned about brain damage? >> you look at me from the beginning of my career until now. i'm talking better now than when i first started boxing. if you think about the whole scenario. i speak better now than i did

when i first started. >> there you go. >> that aches what's make news in america this morning. thanks so much for watching. in america this morning. thanks so much for watching. >> stay tuned for "good m captioned by closed captioning services, inc.